New Lenox Village Board Honors Businesses Helping Homeless

NEW LENOX, IL — “These are good people who are constantly giving back.”

That's how New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann described those who were honored with Humanitarian Service Awards at Monday's New Lenox Village Board of Trustees meeting.

Anna Nardi, Marisa Nardi and Gina Buck from Gina's Teardrop Cafe, and Jessica Gosa, Jesus Ortega and Mike McTaggart from Quest Food Management Services were on hand to receive the awards. Salman Tharwani from Dunkin' was not able to attend the meeting.

All three companies for the past several months have been donating food and beverages for the homeless at MorningStar Mission in Joliet, Baldermann said.

Baldermann has also been volunteering on Sundays at the MorningStar Mission, helping pass out the donated food and beverages, he said.

"When we take about homelessness, when we talk about hunger, there is no community that escapes those issues," Baldermann said.

Issues of homelessness and hunger can affect anyone at any time, Baldermann said, and it's important to remove the "stigma" of homelessness being associated with drug use and mental illness.

“There’s a stigma with homelessness, and it’s just absolutely wrong that it’s always associated with some sort of criminal behavior or some sort of drug use or some sort of mental health issue," Baldermann said. "And, in some cases, that does happen, and we can’t turn our back on any of those people, as well.

"But, a lot of times, people who are just down on their luck who really thought that they had it, and one thing went wrong and they just cannot climb back up. And these last couple of years have been extremely difficult for these people.”